Quick stop in Fernadina Beach included a good dinner at Peppers Cocina Mexicana & Tequila. 

Next day (April 16, 2021) was a long slow day of travel in GA, bumping ground several times (luckily just soft muck).  GA is shallow, winding and the grounds shift so much that the charts and markers are frequently way off.  Joe says never again to the ICW in GA.  We did have a nice anchorage near St. Catherines Sound, grassy marshy area with some current but still beautiful, calm and serene.  

April 17, 2021.  Outside travel from St. Catherines Sound to Charleston, about 110 miles. Had time to walk town before attending the AGLCA Docktails across the river at a yacht club.  Our first officially sponsored event and we met quite a few Loopers.

Another must stop along the way.  ​We met up with John & Nancy Hopwood and Ross & Marueen from Seneca.  Did some more touring of St. Augustine and had happy hours on the Just Us.  Dinner at AIA.

5.8.21 - Oriental, NC.  Piggly Wiggly, Ace Hardware then looking for a pump-out, which was a challange with the wind and current.  Finally got one at Jarret Boat Works.  We bot tied up in Oriental by 3pm and looked around town for a bit before HH and dinner at M&M with Dave and Jeri.  

May 7, 2021 An 8 hour day for 80 miles to Beaufort but arrived in time to walk and shop the town.  Dinner at Clawsons followed by games on the boat.  

4.21.21 Winds came up during the day and after a stop for fuel, we had a difficult time getting into Safe Harbour South Harbor with the wind and strong current.  Doug and Kathy were adjacent to us and we had dinner on the boat with drinks at the Rusty Hook after.  The next day was a work day and we met more new neighbors from Cleveland and had drinks with them and Doug and kathy with Cigars before dinner at the Italian restaurant.   Since a hurricane had destroyed the marina within the last 9 months, the new docks did not have water yet and electricity was going on & off so we prepared the boat for leaving.  ​

March 22, 2021 - April 12, 2021:  After a  crazy day traveling through Miami with the Spring Break shutdown of the beaches and bars, everyone was on the water, with many not knowing how to navigate or drive a boat.  Stopped for an hour to experience the anchorage across from downtown and it was loud, crazy,  & a little dangerous.  We traveled a few hours the ICS to Hollywood area and found a nice anchorage in the South Lake.  

A short ride to Bahia Mar in Fort Lauderdale where we spent a few days at one of our favorite places.  Lots of boat projects and dinghy touring and eating at favorite local haunts before we flew home to spend a couple weeks with family & friends. 

We arrived back to the boat with Anna and Ted on April 7th and after a couple days of errands, showing Anna & Ted around, dinner at 15th Street Fisheries and finally Covid shots, we said good-bye for now to Fort Lauderdale and moved up an anchorage in Peck Lake for a nice sunset & grill.
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Vero Beach and Cocoa:  Stopped on the way to Vero at Fort Pierce and had a long lunch with Albert & Sara (Main Course) and their friend Sandra.  In Vero we stayed Loggerhead Marina is a gated community a few miles outside of town.

Left early in the morning to get to Cocoa Village Marina and walked up town with Anna & Ted.  Cute downtown with shops and art.  Beers, cigars, outdoor music and Crydermans BBQ, and ending with another competitive game night with the Sages. The next day there was a classic car show in downtown Cocoa .  We saw the exact car we had in the 70's, the Yellow Triumph Spitfire, now a classic car, just like it's former owner's, 'Classic'.  

65 miles to Daytona and tied up to our slip at the Halifax River Yacht Club just ahead of a storm front.  After watching a cool storm blow by we went for dinner in the clubhouse. A super nice facility and the oldest yacht club that's been in the same location on the entire east coast.  Super nice members and staff.  Total rainout the next day on Sunday but we fit in a long walk (with an uber ride home in the rain), and tons of relaxing with movies and games with Anna & Ted.  Anna & Ted left Monday morning.

Daytona, FL

March 14, 2021:  Finally a couple day break in the winds so we pulled out mid-day on Sunday the 14th and got 25 miles up Hawks Channel to anchor by Five Mile Channel and Lower Matacumbe Key (on the inside).  A cool sandbar and some nice canals to investigate.  Water was beautifully clear and stars were amazing.  

​Pulled anchor about 8 (just light with the new time change).  Started out a little rocky but as we got further toward Miami, seas flattened & had a nice ride.  Passed the Stiltsville area into Biscayne Bay, where we saw one of the few stilt houses remaining had burned very recently.  These cannot be rebuilt and are so unique that it's sad to see this loss.

Arrived to our friends, Jody and Normans at Gables by the Sea, where they had arranged a place to tie up at a neighbors as they are building their sea wall.  Neighbors George and Ana were so kind to share their space.  We stayed for 5 nights here and and got to participate in the neighborhood happy hours, meeting a great group of people.  Joe spent a good day of fishing with Norman and a few friends and caught enough for dinner for the group, which we brought a couple days later to the Coral Reef Yacht Club and had them fix them.  The catch included Mahi, tuna and a few others. 

We toured the South Miami area with Norman and Jody and saw lots of houses (ideas for our new home) and some of the nicest areas of Miami.  

On Thursday morning early we headed out in Biscayne Bay to Boca Chita, a state park.  The island was owned in the early 1900's by Marc Honeywell and he built a harbor and large estate for his family.  In the first days of occupancy his wife died on the island and Honeywell never returned and eventually gave the property to Miami for a park.  IT has a nice little harbor and lighthouse and gets quite crowded on the weekends.  It was pretty tame when we were there with John and Nancy from Just US and Norman & Jody, who stayed with us but brought over their center counsel for us to run around on.  Biscayne Bay is a great cruising area with nice anchorages.  ​

Headed north through Miami, Marine Stadium and downtown. 

Feb. 17 - March 14, 2021.  We had a few more weeks to spend in Marathon and started to really enjoy this laid back lifestyle.  Each day went went fast but at a slow pace and included a boat project or two, maybe an errand, an adventure and a happy hour sunset.  After a brief trip home, we returned with Julie Ulrick.  We rented a car for a few days as the winds were very high and traveling was not an option for about a week. Visited Key West again with Julie and did some walking, pool time and dinghy rides until Julie left on Friday the 12th. Had some fun teaching Julie 42 that we learned with our friends Brian and Michelle. Also got to meet and spend a little time with Michelle's kids and grandkids.  We enjoyed our last couple days in Marathon and prepared to leave on March 14th after the winds finally broke.